it is usually about $300 a week. it can vary from state sen. in the mississippi i want to say it is closer to $200. host: how are the programs funded? payroll taxes. through the trust the state administers the program and the money goes to the unemployed. host: talk about qualifications order to apply? guest: generally what you have to do is you have to have a year certain threshold. you have to have been let go from a job. and necessarily qualify for -- to qualify for unemployment benefits. if he graduated from college and do not have a job, you getit is a pretty easy system to get into if you were laid off after 10 years. host: we have some qualifications a person must meet on the screen there. have lost a job through no fault of his or her own. guest: you have to be laid off. there is the difference between being laid off and being fired. corporate downsizing. you cannot get unemployment benefits if he were to leave in host: what are the estimates about the impact of unemployment insurance if it is on the extended in the fiscal cliff talks?